EDITORIAL

It’s snow laughing matter

Posted 2/12/15

We have been told many times that the Eskimos – or Inuit, if you prefer – have many words for “snow,” but we are willing to bet that most of them are of the four-letter variety and would be …

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EDITORIAL

It’s snow laughing matter

Posted

We have been told many times that the Eskimos – or Inuit, if you prefer – have many words for “snow,” but we are willing to bet that most of them are of the four-letter variety and would be rendered in typographical symbols like, “%#$*” or simply “[Expletive deleted]” in respectable English language publications. And, since we are a family paper, we just say that we have had our fill of this !@#$ing white stuff. We are going out of our [expletive] minds!

But, now that we’ve got that off our chest, we have to do some serious thinking about how to approach more frequent weather emergencies of this magnitude, especially as they relate to ordinances concerning our duty to reasonably clear the public walks in front of our property. It’s as old as common laws and taxes to require homeowners to clear public ways and most people don’t mind doing so. The Postal Service, you will recall, is not required to deliver your mail if there is no clear path to your mailbox. Through rain and snow and dark of night will only get you so far, and the Post Office made it clear how far that is. A letter carrier would get at least a scolding if he took it upon his- or herself to make an exception.

Which puts us in a dilemma when it comes to an ordinance that requires you to shovel even though the law doesn’t consider that you have no place to put the snow.

Wise generations that went before us created “snow ordinances” to help first responders get to where they are needed. Today, at least in Warwick, firefighters are out clearing hydrants as soon as a snowstorm is over. As our current laws read, for the sake of pedestrian safety, police can cite people who do not shovel their walks as required. Of 94 instances identified by police last week – a good several days after the blizzard, we would add – seven citations carrying a $100 fine were issued.

The law has some members of the City Council troubled. They note that under these usual circumstances, people should neither be burdened nor stressed out by shoveling when there is no place to put snow. Furthermore, with so many walks buried, implementation of the law is a subjective exercise that rightfully has people asking why they were singled out.

Maybe there is a better way. That is what Councilman Ed Ladouceur hopes to find with a study commission.

But meanwhile some leniency, common sense (on the part of homeowners and those who need to walk) and neighborly kindness could go a long way.

As police say on the door hanger they leave at homes: “Be a good neighbor and offer to help those in your community who are physically unable to clear their own walks.”

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